Saturday, November 2, 2013

Who doesn't love a hot criminal and more

So I have new favorite hot criminal (which doesn't mean I'm forsaking Hannibal, not by any means).

Interesting that these two co-exist on the same network. Perhaps NBC is returning to what they once were, the strongest network for dramas? Even if they did cancel my darling Jason's Awake. But now they have brought me The Blacklist and I am happy indeed.

For those of you who haven't seen it yet, James Spader plays Raymond "Red" Reddington, criminal mastermind extraordinaire, who one day suddenly and inexplicably surrenders himself to the FBI and offers to help them catch some of the most heinous criminals loose in society.

But there's a catch. He'll only deal with one person - brand new profiler Lizzie Keen, played by Megan Boone. It's her first day on the job, and she is as baffled as her employers as to why Red wants to deal only with her, but she complies, and so it begins. This show is smart, clever, dramatic, twisty, exciting, but mostly it lives and breathes because of James Spader, who brings Reddington to life. Do not confuse him for another Hannibal Lecter, far from it. Besides the capturing of wanted criminals, there is a subplot involving Lizzie's husband, as well as the mystery surrounding Red's need to have her in his life. Long lost father? Too simple, too pat and too trite, methinks. So we must patiently wait for the answer, which is no problem. As long as I have Red to look at, I'm good.

And speaking of NBC, they recently debuted another drama, Dracula, which runs on Friday nights, starring

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, last seen as Henry VIII in The Tudors. I was skeptical, I must admit. I tend to be very wary of anyone who wishes to take license with one of my favorite stories - and oh, how they have butchered it in the past. But I had to watch, to see for myself, and I must say I was very pleasantly surprised.

The story takes place in Victorian London, 1881, at the point in the book where Dracula arrives in England.

In this version, he re-invents himself, with the help of his faithful assistant Renfield as American entrepeneur Alexander Grayson, come to shed some "light" on British society. JRM does a good American accent, I must admit. And he's certainly easy on the eyes. We have the people we expect to see from the novels, but with twists in the plot. Mina Murray is a medical student, working to become a doctor, under the tutelage of Abraham Van Helsing (who, by the way, is the person responsible for reviving our sexy vampire in the first place and, in this incarnation of the character, is working with him). Mina's boyfriend, Jonathan Harker, is a poor journalist who has trouble providing the lifestyle Mina is accustomed to, especially as she is friends with the wealthy Lucy Westenra and her family. To add fun to the mix, there is a group of devoted fanatics, the Order of the Dragon, determined to exterminate vampires wherever they may be found - so built-in enemy.

The show is off to a great start and I am enjoying it immensely and look forward to the rest of the season. The cinematography is great, everything is beautifully done. The costumes, the sets, everything simply cry out Victorian England. NBC has another winner on its hands, I believe. Keep up the good work, guys! And do not hesitate to show us more of JRM!

Once Upon a Time is back, and this season, we're in Neverland, where Peter Pan has kidnapped Henry to,

and the others have followed, except for Neal/Baelfire. *****SPOILERS AHEAD**** In case you haven't been watching, everyone thinks Neal is dead, but no, he just ended up in the Enchanted Forest and, with the help of Mulan and Robin Hood, he is now in Neverland. Well, Mr. Gold knows, but he's not with the others. Emma, Snow, Charming, Regina, and Hook are traveling together, and Hook is putting the moves on Emma bigtime. He now knows that Neal is alive. It will be interesting to see what he does with the knowledge. Henry is becoming more of a Lost Boy the longer he stays with Pan, who believes him to be the True Believer that he needs.

I can't stand Pan, and I still heartily dislike Hook. My favorite character is undoubtedly Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin. It will be interesting to see if he can redeem his relationship with his son and help to save Henry. I am hoping Belle's influence will help him stay on the right path, and his own love for his son and grandson. Robert Carlyle brings such dimension to his portrayal of Gold, who is neither all good nor all bad. I still dislike Regina as much as ever too. I hope that some day we'll get to see the Hatter again, but if nothing else, I get to watch Sebastian Stan in the next Captain America ***MORE SPOILERS**** And yes, for those who don't know, he is the Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes, and no, he did not die.

This season, ABC has brought us a spin-off from Once Upon a Time, which is Once Upon a Time in

Wonderland. As its name suggests, it concerns the exploits of Alice in Wonderland. This is another favorite tale of mine, one which I don't suffer lightly to be harmed. Sarah and I are watching it together, although she doesn't watch Once Upon a Time. There is only one reason for her interest in this, and it's a good one, I must admit. Naveen Andrews, last seen in Sinbad, plays Jafar. He is one seriously sexy man, and he is the reason I am still watching because although the show isn't bad, per se, it does not have the same strong writing as Once Upon a Time (the spin-off is the collaboration of the producers of UPaT and the writers of Lost). Alice has escaped from the mental institution she's been placed in, searching for her lost love, the genie of the lamp, Cyrus, who is being held by Jafar and the Red Queen. John Lithgow (in CGI) plays the perfidious White Rabbit. Alice is being helped in her quest to find Cyrus by the wanted criminal the Knave of Hearts. So far, the show is rather one note. If not for Jafar, I'd probably not take the time to watch it, as I have a lot of other things to watch. But he keeps drawing me. Lose him and you'll definitely lose this viewer.

I should probably stop there and continue tomorrow. I have other new shows to discuss, including Masters of Sex and Sleepy Hollow, plus some returning faves - like Grimm and Hawaii 5-0. But I have editing to do, books to write. So I'll bid you have a good day, and talk to you later!